BIO
the joe venti project
1972
1967
Everybody has a story....this is mine.
Born 4 Jan. 1954,I started playing violin at age 5 but held it like a guitar while strumming "Hound Dog " by Elvis. My mum quietly(behind my father's back) purchased me a 2nd hand nylon string guitar when I was six. As dad wanted me to have no part of Rock & Roll,if I wanted to play a instrument,I would have to play like a real musician..lessons and all. But by 1964 after seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show like a million other kids my age, I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life!! But sometimes things don't turn out the way you expect them to..
AND SO IT STARTS...
By age 10 I auditioned and joined my 1st band playing with older kids by playing the solo from "Wipeout" by The Safaris and played in a succession of neighborhood bands doing church dances and parties and learning to play piano and drums for the next 5 years and then while attending art school in NYC in the late 60's I joined my 1st real band MAGPIE,in 1970,(1970-1977)which included in the 1st line up as rhythm guitarist,Tom Erdeley better known as TOMMY RAMONE of The Ramones.
Earlier in 1966, I was introduced to FELIX PAPPALARDI, producer of CREAM (and later MOUNTAIN) by my uncle who worked in the industry as a booking agent. Felix took me under his wing and mentored me on piano,cello & bass guitar and introduced me to the world of recording at the age of 16. I was invited to watch sessions held at ALTANTIC RECORDS studios and other prominent studios like Sterling Sound Studios and RCA in NYC and in 1971 was introduced to a larger than life guitarist from Queens N.Y.,LESLIE WEST while rehearsing MAGPIE at Charles Lane Studios in the West Village which was owned in part by Felix and where MOUNTAIN rehearsed. More on that later......
In 1973-74 after loosing a record contract with Casablanca Records to KISS, (another up and coming NYC band!!) which we played many gigs with in the early days,fondly recalled as the COVENTRY days,(a very well known rock club at the time in Sunnyside Queens).
Due to the untimely death of lead guitarist SAL CARUSO of cancer at the age of 21,MAGPIE then joined forces with a talented guitarist out of Greenwich Village,PETER BARON and his band FANTASY where at the time we created a coalition of sorts and played the college and club circuit from N.Y. to FLA.either as MAGPIE or as FANTASY(depending on who got the gig!).Peter eventually went on to play 2nd guitar for no other than...Leslie West when he formed THE WILD WEST SHOW in 1973. MOUNTAIN would break up and reform several times during this period, (1972-76) Leslie joined forces with JACK BRUCE to form WEST BRUCE & LAING (1972-74)for which I worked as a go fer for Leslie on some of their North American tour dates and for Felix's record company WINDFALL RECORDS.In the summer of 1974 everything changed as one hot night in the penthouse studios of Windfall Records where I was rehearsing with Peter and the band.. As I recall it, The door to the studio swung open and lo and behold...Leslie West and Corky Laing come in and we had the jam session of a life time!! wow playing with my idols"!!(not to mention on another occasion at the studio while i was minding my own business messin around figuring out a bass part..who walks in? no other than JACK BRUCE! my head exploded as he taught me some of the finer points of bass playing !!)
In 1975 Mountain had broken up again and Leslie's 1st solo record (which Peter & I played on but didn't receive credit for) was released.In the fall of 1975 I was asked by Leslie to join the Leslie West Band.
THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED. . . . . AND NOT FOR THE BETTER....WELL MAYBE.....
Two years with Leslie proved fatal. . the starting line up: Carmine Appice on drums, Billy Cannon on drums, Dino Danelli drums, Corky drums,all in a space of less than a year.Peter out,drummer extrodinaire TOM 'Timps' MAHONEY from MAGPIE and me on bass finish up as a three piece that sounded great until the dark days in 1977,but along the way got to jam with a lot of great musicians like Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush,Peter Frampton,Mick Jones and many more..when traveling back from a gig in L.A. I realized that the music wasn't on my terms anymore. . .it wasn't fun anymore.
SO I QUIT. And for the next 30 years I taught, put bands together,produced, played on other peoples tracks did a few of the legendary projams at The China Club with the likes of Billy Squire,Godfrey Townsend,John Entwistle,David Bowie,while working a 40 hr a week gig while raising my beautiful daughter Josie,rarely playing live except for invitations from friends like Leslie & Godfrey Townsend (Jack Bruce Band & John Entwistle Band) & Peter Baron,that ignited the flame again...
THEN IT STARTED BEING FUN AGAIN.....
2005 Invited by Leslie to play encore with Mountain at a gig on L.I. N.Y.
2006 Rejoined MOUNTAIN for short tour of the south
2006 Formed ULTIMATE CREAM toured as opening act for Mountain
THEN IT GOT SCARY.....
2007 Diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer Ultimate Cream disbands,knocked out of commission for a year and starts work on Me, Myself & Eye at home studio & everything's fine... THANK GOD... or Krishna..or whoever. . .
you choose.
2008 Reunited with PETER BARON to do benefit for 9/11 survivors
2009 Started producing and recording ME, MYSELF & EYE @ home studio,a mix of classic rock standards and originals playing all the instruments
2010 Release of Me,Myself & Eye and colaborations with MALCOM BRUCE & CORKY LAING
2011 with THE BLUESSLINGERS as 2nd guitar
2012 MADE IN AMERICA doing a Zeppelin tribute set and original & classic rock
doing appearences with The PETER BARON BAND
Working on new cd
2013 New projects 3 DAYS REIGN classic deep cut rock,
2014 THE SMOKIN'ROCKETS,rockabilly show band
2014 K2 featuring Corky Laing & Peter Baron performing the music of Mountain & new original songs
Performing in the rock opera PLAYING GOD with Corky Laing
1974-76
1973
1986
MADE IN AMERICA 1991 - 1997
The Leslie West Band
1975-1977
ULTIMATE CREAM 2006-07
MADE IN AMERICA REDUX 2011
THE SMOKIN' ROCKETS 2013
3DAZE REIGN 2013-14
K2 with CORKY LAING 2014-2015
2015 U.K. tour with CORKY LAING PLAYS MOUNTAIN
2016 GERMAN TOUR with CORKY LAING PLAYS MOUNTAIN
SPRING U.K. TOUR with CORKY LAING PLAYS
2017 SPRING GERMAN TOUR with CORKY LAING PLAYS MOUNTAIN
SUMMER US TOUR FALL UK TOUR CORKY LAING PLAYS MOUNTAIN
PROJECT WITH THOR GUITARIST STEVE PRICE
RELEASED SOME SONGS FOR THE AGES CD
2018 DOING SHOWS WITH K2 & GIGING WITH THE JOEY TENUTO BAND 2019 IN THE STUDIO WORKING ON NEW CD
2020 BAZOOKA JOE new the joe venti project CD ROCK ROLL, RHYTHM & BLUES
2021 BAZOOKA JOE GIGS!! new cd this summer
CORKY LAING PLAYS MOUNTAIN
U.K.GERMANY TOURS 2015-17
SUMMER US TOUR 2017 CORKY LAING PLAYS MOUNTAIN
MOUNTAIN 2008
CHRIS SHUTTERS GUITAR & VOCALS CORKY LAING DRUMS & VOCALS
WINTER / SUMMER 2018 JAMMING w/ STEVE PRICE, THE JOEY TENUTO BAND, CORKY LAING & K2 ft. Peter Baron
WINTER 2019 with CHRIS SUTTERS & KOFI BAKER CREAM EXPERIENCE
The Barrel House Ft.Myers FL
Art's Garage Delray Beach Fl.
SUMMER 2019
The CHRIS SHUTTERS BAND with Marc Schiender drums
THE JOEY TENUTO BAND
touring all over Florida & Georgia
FALL 2019
K2 the MOUNTAIN ft. PETER BARON
LIGHTHOUSE PIER S.I. N.Y.
THE JOEY TENUTO BAND (T.B.A.)
2020-2021
TBA DUE PANDEMIC
NEW CD ROCK ROLL RHYTHM & BLUES (July 2020 release)
BAZOOKA JOE feat. Gary Kroman guitar vocals (Hot Tuna) Marc Schiender drums vocals
2022
CORKY LAING'S MOUNTAIN BIRTHDAY TOUR JAN 2022 FALL ALIVE & KICKIN'
GERMAN & U.K. TOURS
BAZOOKA JOE DATES
2023
CORKY LAING'S MOUNTAIN 75TH BIRTHDAY TOUR
NEW JOE VENTI PROJECT CD "MAGPIE"
BAZOOKA JOE DATES
